The Lovers Dilemma
by X.x.HP.x.X.Forever
Summary: Megan Romanoff is a pure-blooded witch, who is scorned by her family. Having neither the looks or attitude of her other family members, she is treated like dirt. She doesn't have enough pure-blood men pining after her, for her mother's liking, and she doesn't have the ambition to become a death-eater for her father's liking. She feels like she's stuck in a black hole and no way out
1. Chapter 1

Okay. So this is an attempt at a Sirius Black story. After much thought, I deleted my other two, so I hope this will have more of a success. Hope you like it!

Megan Romanoff...

She signed her name on the top of her parchment paper, and after thinking for a few moments, decided to scratch that out. Did that seem too odd..? Or did it seem to formal, she wondered.

There wasn't much need for formalities, as she was only writing to her cousin, James Potter, announcing, or even hoping, that she could spend the rest of her summer there. If his parents allowed it, her parents surely did, and would.

_James Potter, _

_I hope you do remember me, and if you don't...I am related to you through a cousin. On some side. _

Megan glared at the parchment in front of her and crumpled the beginning of the letter, and tossed it over her shoulder. She didn't have to be so formal with him, so why did she feel the need to write formally?

Was it that fact that she was being dumped onto his front lawn in the next couple days, or the fact that she felt intimidated by his family's relaxed pure-blood values?

She had come from a pure-blood family, being related to James through a second cousin, or some sort, and while his family didn't seem to care about the pure-blood values, her family certainly did. Including finding a good, pure-blood husband.

She shook her head, her currently unwashed, mess of hair, brushing her cheeks. She had been trying to send this bloody letter for days, finding no hope of writing it, without sounding like she was either, too good for him or too smart.

And Megan was neither.

"Oh to hell with it." She grumbled to herself, and while gripping her quill much tighter than needed, she finished writing the letter, annoyed at herself.

"That wasn't so bloody hard." She stormed over to her bedroom window, and flung it open, making her beautiful barn owl, squeak at her.

"Oh do shut up!" Megan snapped, and then had a moment of guilt, and let her owl free from her cage.

She waited for her owl to hop onto her window sill and tied the messy written letter to the owl's foot. Once the letter was tied, Megan grabbed a treat and held it out to her owl, waiting for it to be eaten.

"Oh come on now. Just eat it." She found herself being more and more impatient these days, and while she wished she could just relax and take deep breaths, impatience seemed to run in her family.

"Thank you!" She breathed out and pet her owl, trying to remember if she had ever flown there before. She was sure that her parents owls had, but she wasn't sure about hers.

"To James Potter, our cousin. Well my cousin." Megan waited until the owl had flown before she threw the window shut, once again, and started pacing her room.

'Another bloody habit I picked up from mother.' She thought harshly to herself.

Megan's parents, while being short of completely unloving, were to a great extent, focused on marrying her off to a pure blood,hopefully rich, family. And to much amusement, Megan had no more than a few offers. It wasn't that they had found her attractive, but more because her family, was well in the higher ranks of pure-bloods.

"No one beats the Malfoy's though." Even as the name rolled off of her tongue, Megan felt shudders go down her spine. She was certainly grateful that Malfoy, Lucius, had already gotten a suitor.

Narcissa Black was arranged to marry, and had recently become a fiance to Lucius, and from her mother had told her, Narcissa was more than happy to be engaged.

'Well congratulations Narcissa, I hope you're happy with that pig-headed, narcissistic, boring, self-centered animal.' Megan huffed and, after pacing for 5 minutes, sat on her bed.

She was hoping that James parents, and James, would take pity on her and let her go to their house for the remainder of the summer. Her parents had 'important' business to attend to, and while they 'would've loved to take her' they thought it best she stayed home.

"They're probably too ashamed to take me anywhere. The pure-blood who is so 'plain' compared to her family, her beautiful family, that all her suitors are based on money and social standing." She scoffed and looked into the mirror that was hanging across her bed.

She looked at her appearance and frowned, seeing neither stunning beauty or sharp features, that her mother and father both had.

Instead she saw slightly chubby cheeks, along with a thicker nose that seemed to have a slight point to it. Unlike her mother, and father, who had both clear, light blue eyes, she had dark green eyes, that seemed, at a quick glance, almost brown.

Megan had thick, corse hair, that just seemed to lay there, unlike the rest of her family. They all had hair that was thin, had a nice sheen to it, and had seemed to drape over their shoulders.

'But that wasn't the only thing that makes me ugly...'Megan put her hand on her face and stared back at her reflection.

Soon she was interrupted from her belittling of herself by a sharp sounding 'tap tap' on the window. She stood up and made her way over to the window and pulled it open, letting owl hop inside her room.

"That was quick." She smiled and took the letter off of her owl's leg, hoping for a good response. Just the thought of being here alone, all summer, was torture. She knew that she would barely be able to go outside, her family wanting as little of Megan to be seen as possible.

She ripped open the letter and read over it, only at a quick glance, and let out a scream at seeing a bold 'yes' written neatly, she was sure it hadn't been Jame's writing, and started to pack.

"Even if we've only seen each other a few times, and far and in-between, I'm still glad you said yes."


	2. Chapter 2

The Lovers Dilemma

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Megan knew, that even though she had been welcomed, it may be awkward at the Potter's residence. She didn't know who exactly had confirmed her welcoming, whether it was James or his parents, but standing outside of their door, she didn't care.

"It is now or never." Megan straightened her back and rolled her shoulders back. Just because she didn't agree with her parents morals and values, didn't mean that she didn't like to stand tall.

'Despite what scars I have...' Megan thought to herself and raised her hand, clenched her fists and rapped on the door, three times. She waited patiently for someone to answer, feeling a little nervous and setback. She knew that James like to pull pranks, but could and would he pull this one? Would he let her believe she was welcome, then never answer the door?

"Hello Megan. It's nice to see you again." Megan looked at the woman standing before her, and without a few more glances, could tell that this was James's mother, even if she had only seen James in pictures, and a few times in social situations.

She had the same eyes, the same hazel eyes that seemed would capture people's attention from across the room. Along with her eyes, she had quite a few other traits that Megan saw in James.

"May I come in?" Megan spoke with a polite tone, something she had wired into her brain from a young age. Even though her parents wished she more breathtakingly beautiful, or thinner or even more sociable, she was still raised to be polite and proper.

"Oh yes. Of course." Mrs. Potter, Catherine Potter, stepped aside and Megan stepped into the house, pulling her trunk behind her.

She took in the view of the high ceiling the tile floors and the staircase that turned up to the second floor. Megan thought the house, more like a mansion, was beautiful, and it felt more homey than her house felt, and ever would feel. This house held such life that Megan had never experienced in her house, never really felt the warmth that you could feel here.

"Your house is quite beautiful Mrs. Potter." Megan smiled at her, feeling relieved when Mrs. potter didn't cringe or turn away at her scars. She didn't even have a look of disgust she often got from her parents.

"Let me show you to your room and then I'll introduce you to James and Sirius." Megan nodded and followed Mrs. Potter up the stairs, lugging her trunk behind her. She found it slightly annoying when she heard the 'thunk' of her trunk hitting the stairs behind her.

"Do you need help with your trunk?" She watched Mrs. Potter turn and smile at her, waiting for her to answer.

She would've taken up Mrs. Potter up on her offer, if it weren't for the fact that not only was pruned to be proud, but she was determined to do as many things by herself as she possibly could. Back at home, her parents had house elves that did everything for her.

"No, Mrs. Potter, I'll be fine." Megan smiled and continued to follow Mrs. Potter up the stairs. All the while, she was taking in the paintings and pictures that adorned the walls. They were either brightly coloured paintings or pictures of James.

The comparison between her parents and the Potters were being thrown in her face with every step she took down the hall. The Potters had loved James and they showed it in every picture, every moment they captured. They had so many pictures and memories of James, it sent a wave of emotions through her.

Why couldn't her parents love her like that? Why didn't her parents have pictures upon pictures of her? Her parents hadn't had a single picture of her in the hallways, in their room, in the kitchen, or anywhere visible. Her parents kept no records of any of her achievements, or her rewards in sports, classes, extra activities. Nothing. Her parents had nothing that showed they were proud of her or even loved her.

It tore her up inside a bit every day, getting not only rejected by her parents, but them belittling her and telling her that she would never be attractive enough for someone to feel something for her. It tore her up having been told that the only way she was going to get a chance at marriage and raising a family, would be through money. Her parents would have to buy someone off to get her married, they would have to pay someone to 'love' her.

"Here is your room. It is down the hall from James's room and the across the hall from Sirius's room. Let me know if you need anything. I'll call you when dinner is ready and until then you can unpack or explore." Mrs. Potter pulled Megan out of her thoughts and Megan briefly smiled before she walked into her, temporary, room.

"Thank you ." Megan forced a smile and waited until Mrs. Potter had turned and started to make her way downstairs, before she closed her door.

Once the door was closed, Megan put her trunk on her bed and started to unpack. She kept telling herself that she was not going to think about her parents or her lack of a family life. She was going to focus on having a lovely summer away from her home, her parents and maybe even have a little fun.

"I am not and will not focus on my parents. I will not focus on my home. I will have fun and make the most of my summer before I have to go back to hell." She told herself, faking confidence, and make a mental note to make sure she actually did one of those things.

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Alright so here is another chapter. I hope you like it and I hope you review. I want to thank this person for adding the story to their favourites:

PhoenixE27119812

And these three for following the story:

PhoenixE27119812

Jasmine35

Thank you all for taking the time to read this so far and I hope I don't let you down as I write it. :) And if any of you are waiting for Sirius, I may have the next chapter in his perspective or James. :) Hope you like this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

The Lovers Dilemma

Sirius was more than happy to have been moved into the Potters house and he wouldn't believe he had waited so long to leave the hell hole called his 'house'. Now that he was living at the Potters, he and James, his best friend and fellow prankster, could plan some of the best jokes they could think of. They had all summer and these pranks, the ones that were threatening to spill out of his head, were going to the best of the best.

"Prongs who should be our first victim of the year? Snivellous? Malfoy?" Sirius smirked and thought back to the past few years and their...jokes they played on Snivellous. They were both amused by them and often found themselves laughing into the night about the pranks.

The only person that wasn't amused by it was Lily Evans. There was one word James would describe Lily by: Beautiful. And he used that word quite often when he interacted with her. He tried to flirt with her every chance he had gotten, as well as telling her how beautiful she was. James was in love. But Lily, she didn't feel the same.

Lily thought James was an arrogant, insolent, overly rude and knew that someday, he would have to grow up. Lily told James that every time she saw him, or saw him pranking anyone, especially Snivellous.

Sirius felt a pang of annoyance and infuriation every time Lily put his best friend down, only because she really had no idea how much he loved her. Yes, James Potter, loved Lily Evans, and all she could see was the bad in him.

"The same person we always prank. Snivellus of course." Sirius shared a look with James, one they both understood, and then started laughing. The memories they had of pranking and joking around still so fresh in their minds.

"James? Sirius?" Sirius sat up and looked at the closed door of James room, hearing Mrs. Potter's voice, knew they were either going to be in trouble or told something they probably wouldn't care too much about.

"Come in mum." James spoke briefly, and stretched, almost preparing himself in a way, for a lecture.

Mrs. Potter walked in and closed the door behind her, smiling first at James, then at Sirius. Sirius was expecting a lecture, but when he didn't get one, he became a little unnerved. He didn't know what was going to come out of Mrs. Potter's mouth next.

"James your cousin, Megan, will be spending the summer with us. She arrived just a few minutes ago and she is unpacking. Do go and say 'hello' won't you?" Sirius looked at James and gave him a look, a surprised look mixed with a little curiosity.

He never knew that James had any cousins that lived nearby, or that even liked to come and visit. As far as the Potters went, while being pure-blood, they didn't go along with the blood mania, as other families did. That was seemingly enough to make most pure-blood families want to leave the Potter family alone.

"Megan? I don't remember her, mum. Why is she coming to stay here? If she's pure-blood then why isn't she staying with her family? Her pure-blood family? Why stay with us?" While Sirius didn't have a chance to ask the same questions as James, he certainly did think of them.

Sirius watched Mrs. Potter for a reaction to the questions and he found it a bit odd that, instead of answering right away, she had paused and thought for a minute. And even when she had opened her mouth to answer, the answers were a little stuttered.

"Her family is gone for the summer and she didn't want to stay at home alone." Mrs. Potter stood straight, which Sirius knew was the pure-blood pruning, as he had as well, but he thought that maybe it was just nerves trying to poke through her exterior.

"How old is she? 12?" Sirius surprised himself by speaking, especially when he was just going to watch the conversation play out. Mrs. Potter shot him a look, and he was glad that he had spoke out. He wanted to know what other person was going to be here, and he didn't want to play babysitter all summer. He had different plans.

"She is 16. Like you two. But...James please...just say 'hello' alright?" James looked at Sirius and back to his mother and nodded. Sirius could tell that James was thinking the same thing as Sirius.

Why didn't a 16 year old want to be home alone? That's a great excuse for a party, a big party and Sirius would jump at the chance. He would have one hell of a time, with girls, firewhiskey and many empty bedrooms to occupy himself with.

"What kind of 16 year old, especially a chick, would want to leave a house to herself, for a house occupied with us?" Sirius asked James, but instead of giving a vocal response, James just stood up and shrugged.

"I guess we better get this over with." James nudged Sirius's shoulder after her refused to move, and with a grunt, Sirius stood up and followed James.

"How do you even know where she'll be kept?" Sirius asked from behind James, wondering if that was even the right words to use.

"The only really clear, clean, free room is across from yours. I assume she'll be kept there." James nodded back at Sirius and, when he arrived at the door, knocked three times.

"Just go in, Prongs." Sirius pushed past James and turned the handle and walked into the room.

He looked around and saw the same homey feel that he had in his room, expect it wasn't personalized with pictures and posters. It was just bare, painted walls, with no pictures and only a few paintings. The bed, unlike where his was, was put up against the far wall away from the window.

"Hey, I'm Sirius, this is James. You know, your cousin." Sirius spoke to the person standing by the bed, and took a moment to look her over.

From the back, or at least he could tell, she was pure-blood just by her stature and how she kept her back straight, but he could tell, that she probably wouldn't have been held at a high stature. She wasn't as thin and tall as most pure-bloods loved, nor was she as delicately featured.

"I know who you are." Sirius heard her speak, and was surprised that she didn't have a more 'I'm better than you' tone to her voice. Instead, he heard an air of sadness hidden behind slight sarcasm.

"Well can you at least be a little polite and turn to face us?" Sirius felt a nudge in his side from James, and even though he wouldn't do it, he knew James wanted to him to be a little sorry. He didn't have anything to be sorry for, in his mind, and he wasn't going to be bothered to apologize for being blunt.

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Megan heard a few voices behind her, but she didn't bother to turn around and face the door, or the voices. She was going to, try at least, and keep her scars and her, all too plain, face away from their eyes as long as she possibly could.

"Hey I'm Sirius. This is James. You know, your cousin." Megan felt the need to roll her eyes at the voice behind her, but only restrained herself when she heard her mothers nagging voice in her head.

'Don't roll your eyes Megan Elizabeth Diane Romanoff! It is bad manners! Don't scoff Megan Elizabeth Diane Romanoff! Don't slouch! Don't run up the stairs! You're walking wrong! You're talking impolitely!' Megan clenched her fists at the thought of every overbearing sentence her mother spoke, and wanted nothing more than to rip her hair out.

'But I was taught to be controlled.' Megan took a deep breath and cooled down, pushing her mothers nagging voice to the far depths of her mind. Instead she focused on the two boys standing behind her. One being James, her cousin the prankster, or so she had heard from her mother and the other gossipers, and the other being Sirius Black.

'Sirius Black, the pure-blood runaway.' She thought back to the conversations her mother had with her 'friends', whenever they came over for tea. They would sit there and gossip about everyone and everything that they could, including one Sirius Black.

"I know who you are." Megan tried to keep her voice even and as calm as she could, but something weighed her down, making her sound sad and a bit sarcastic.

It had weighed on her, not only at the moment, but when her mother was gossiping, that Sirius had run away and he still had a place to go. He had gotten to live with his best friend, he had a place to stay, he was safe, warm and comfortable. If Megan had run away, if she even dared to run away, she would have no where to go. She would have no one to turn to, no friends would take her in, her family would completely turn their backs on her.

"Well can you at least be a little polite and face us?" Megan stopped what she was doing, as if she was frozen for a minute, and thought about what he had said. Should she turn and face them, not only showing her less than beautiful looks, but always a sign of her dark, past and present?

'Would they even care?' That thought also ran through her head, would they care and ask about it? Or would they, as her parents and her relatives did, brush it off and ignore it, as it was a family affair?

She knew that her family, not just her parents, minus the Potter's of course, ignored the scars she bared on her face. They ignored it because it wasn't their business, it wasn't something they, although surprising, wouldn't stick their noses into. Punishment done unto children by parents, was kept a secret from the entire family, and that was one rule, her family intended to keep.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Megan heard Sirius from behind her, and she waited until she felt a hand on her shoulder, before she turned around and faced them. She pulled her hair back, placing it behind her ear, and faced them square on.

Her green eyes, met his grey eyes then James hazel eyes, and she stared them down. She watched, at first, as a look of surprise and shock came over them. Then she waited, and soon enough they tore their eyes away from her scars, to someplace else in the room.

The scars adorning Megan's face started at her left temple, and made their way down to her cheek, not in a straight line, but twisting and turning and branching off. They weren't as bright and red as they had been before, partly because she was taking some medication to make them less visible. But you could still see them.

"Hello James, hello Sirius." Megan forced a smile and turned her whole body towards them, giving them her full attention, and after squaring her shoulders, was going to, politely, tell them to get out.

"If you're done avoiding my gaze, I would really like it if you could let me unpack. That is unless you want to stare at my scars. Then by all means, please stay." She finished her sentence with a sarcastic, and waited for them to say something, anything.

"I'll see you at dinner then." Megan spoke after a few seconds of silence, and a very awkward few seconds, and turned on her heel turning her attention back to her trunk. She heard the two pairs of feet retreat soon after, followed by the door closing.

She didn't expect much from James and Sirius, but Megan still felt a pang of hurt come over her at their stares. She had hoped, but didn't expect, that they would react like Mrs. Potter had. No staring and no odd looks.

'They are teenage boys, they live for pretty girls with pretty faces. They would stare at facial scars and marring, because they probably don't see it very often.' Megan sighed and finished unpacking, much quicker than she would have liked, and put her trunk under the bed.

She had known that she could explore, but she didn't want to run into James and Sirius more than she had to. It would be bad enough having her room across from his and having to see how happy, and fun his life was here. While hers, and she was almost in the same predicament, or she had been, had been nothing short of terrible.

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Okay so here is another chapter. I really hope you like it, and I hope you're enjoying it so far. I hope you won't be disappointed with further chapters.

I would like to thank the reviewers:

PhoenixE27119812

Julie London

And these people who have, and are, following this story:

PhoenixE27119812

Julie London

Jasmine35

D.A Member77

Thank you all very, very much!


	4. Chapter 4

The Lovers Dilemma

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Megan

She let out a loud sigh, and after what seemed like many hours, rest her back against the wall, her legs folded under her on the floor, and looked over her progress. Her clothes were no longer in her trunk, or on the floor or on the bed, but instead they were hung up nice and neat, as best as she could do anyway, and that left more room for the other essentials she packed.

Unlike many of her female cousins, when Megan went on a trip, she packed as much as she _needed_ not wanted. She didn't pack trunk after trunk, full of clothes and makeup that she would never use or wear, but instead she packed half her trunk full of clothes, while the other half, houses books, pictures, drawings and other miscellaneous things.

But her most prized possession, so far at least, was one photo album that was not full of pictures of family or friends, but instead places she would like to visit and things she would like to do. She had decided at a young age, after seeing her female cousins being dotted on by many pure-blood boys, that instead of getting married, when she was so unattractive, she would travel instead. She would see the world and all that it was worth.

She had first, or she hoped, to see Greece and Rome, the place where so many great stories and legends had come from. From the Greek Gods to the stories of magical, and real, creatures that used to freely walk among the people of the past.

'Then off to Egypt for me.' She smiled and sighed, drifting off into thoughts of what she would do, who she would meet whether or not they would react to her scars as others had. She had hoped, that going to a place with so much past, such a rich culture, she would feel welcomes and maybe even considered beautiful.

"That would be nice to hear every once in a while." Megan stood up and walked over to the full length mirror and looked over her appearance.

She didn't understand how the people who were supposed to love her, to keep her safe and warm, to teach her right from wrong, could do this. They were her parents, they had wanted children, perfect children, and instead they got her. But even she thought that maybe they could grow to love her. Couldn't they?

Megan reached up, and while keeping her eyes concentrated on her reflection, touched her scars, starting at the temple, and drug her fingers down them. She felt the way they were raised on her skin, the way they branched out and covered the left side of her face.

"Why couldn't they grow to love me?" She thought bitterly and bit her tongue, trying to force the emotions she didn't want to face, back down. She didn't want to do this again, she didn't want to face her demons yet. She wanted them to go back down the hole they crawled out of, and never come back up.

"Why couldn't you love me?!" She screamed at the mirror and picked up the closest thing she could find, it being a rather large book, and chucked it at the mirror. She didn't turn away or shield her face as the glass shattered, rather she stood there and watched as the glass fell in chunks.

She looked at the mirror, what was left of it, and felt anger rise out of her, boiling until it had almost reached the top. The demons she didn't want to face, were awfully close to scratching the surface, and she was not sure if she was ready to face them, if ever.

"Why was I not good enough? Why am I still not good enough? Why did you do this to me?!" Megan kept flinging books at the mirror, shattering the remaining pieces until, both her reflection and the demons, were gone.

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Sirius

Flashback started running through his mind, from first year, all the way to the minute he had left the hell hole called his life. The minute he saw those scars, winding and branching off, all over the left side of her face. They started at her left temple and went down, branching to the corner of her eye, then went down, branching to her ear, her cheek, halfway to her nose, until the scar finally made it's way to her chin.

"Sirius? You okay, mate? You haven't said much since you saw my cousin." James looked at Sirius, making sure he was actually listened, and kept staring until Sirius did...something. Anything that would tear him from the silence he was in. James knew, though he didn't fully understand, what his parents had done, and why silence was a little like peace to him.

If Sirius had been silent, not only against his parents but also the entire life, he wouldn't have as many bruises and scars and, figuratively speaking, shadows following him. He would probably still be living at home, following his parents footsteps and wouldn't be such a 'screw up'.

But Sirius wasn't quiet and he wasn't silent and that what why he had so many, and so brutal, looking scars that marred his skin. They were so conveniently places, he had to give his parents, that one bitter point, because the scars that made him despise his parents, were always hidden behind his clothes. They were placed so well, so damn well, that even when Sirius had his sleeved rolled up, they were hidden.

"I'm fine James." Sirius shook his head and pushed the thoughts of his unloving, vile parents out of his mind and focused on the game James and he were playing. Exploding Snap seemed to be their 'go to' game. Whenever they really had nothing else to do or play, they would play Exploding Snap, finding excitement in the simple card game.

"So what do you think?" James asked Sirius, while concentrating on the game, out of pure curiosity, and not based on any real feeling or want to help Sirius get into her pants.

"Her looks are definitely interesting. To say the least." Sirius snorted and, after playing a card, let out a laugh.

She was not the type of chick he went for, as he reiterated in his mind a dozen times before, she was nothing he was used to. He was used to chicks that were taller, thinner and liked to spread their legs at the first sight of him. He liked it, he liked those kind of chicks, and James's cousin well...she seemed like a prude to Sirius.

'She has the typical pure-blood attitude.' Sirius scoffed at the thought, and while he wasn't of the majority, he knew what the attitude was. His brother had it, his parents had it, his disgusting, vile, evil-to-her-core, Bellatrix had it more than others, and he hated the attitude.

'That's why I rebelled. I hate everything about them.' He sneered and played a hand, his mind torn between the hatred for his family, and the exciting game James and him were playing.

"I know. All those scars. They freak me out, mate." James spoke, then shuddered, and Sirius felt a pang of guilt shoot through him, especially at the thought of his one scars.

He knew that for him to get scars and beaten, it was a total different situation then a girl getting beaten, especially a pure-blood, who had yet to be married. It was almost a mistake to lay a hand and mar an unattached pure-blood girl. They still needed to be married off, and with scars like that, that covered half her face, she would not be lucky getting a good husband. Not that any pure-blood husbands were good.

"I mean your scars, those dont freak me out, but they are on her face. And they're so big and they cover half her face." James let out another shudder, and while Sirius was drifting off into a thought, James won the game.

He let out a loud 'whoop' and punched Sirius in the shoulder, almost nailing him on the shoulder bone, making him once again, clear of his thoughts. Sirius grinned and stood up and stretched, the thoughts of beatings and scars, and James's cousin, far from his mind.

"Excited to go back to Hogwarts? I'm sure your girlfriends have missed you." Sirius let out a hearty laugh at the, oh so miserable attempt to hide the 's' James put on 'girlfriend'.

It was no secret that Sirius had a fan club, and while others may call him a playboy, he considered himself, or told himself, that he was not a playboy, but rather someone who was just living life to the fullest.

Before he had actually got himself disowned, he, more his parents, had plans for him to marry some rich, pure-blood. He would settle down with her, get married and have kids, continuing the Black family tree. But that was all on his brother Regulus now.

"I only have one at a time James. The others are just fun on the side." Sirius told James, trying to keep the grin off his face, but he seemed to fail. The grin worked its way onto his face, followed by a nudge by James.

"So who is it this time?" James knew that Sirius had a long trail of broken hearts behind him, and he had the same, but not because he slept around, but because he was in love with Lily Evans. Only Lily Evans.

"It happens to be Christina Vane." Sirius smirked at the thought of his girlfriend, and while he'd have a new one pretty quick, she was the best he had so far. She actually kept him interested unlike the other ones, he had so far.

"How long are you planning on dating her?" James gave Sirius a side grin and knew it wouldn't be too long. It never was too long with Sirius.

"I might get serious with this one." Sirius stood up and stretched, the muscles in his body straining at the sudden movement after sitting for so long.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure padfoot." He felt his body move forward a jolt, and figured James ht his shoulder. Sirius gave a shrug and stretched again, only stopping and dropping his arms, from above his head, when a loud rumble rang out from the room.

"I'm hungry, prongs. Lets go eat." Sirius walked to his door and opened it, pausing when he heard a loud crash, followed by a thud, and he would've gone to look, had it not been for his stomach ringing out again.

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Okay so here is another chapter, I hope you like it. I also hope you review. I'm going to keep updating regardless, but I'd like to know what you all think about it.

I want to thank this person for reviewing:

lovelikewoe13

And these people for following the story:

Beckisian

msrinnarooni

the crazy brit

aleandria miller (I had to take the '.' out or it wouldn't show up.)

Thank you all so much!


	5. Chapter 5

The Lovers Dilemma

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Remus

Remus was a little less than excited to spend the summer at James house, not because he didn't want to spend time with him and Sirius, but because his parents were going on a trip. He wanted to go, he really did, but he was afraid that with furry little problem, the horrible monthly monster, would cause problems.

It wouldn't be bad, if and only if, his parents had decided to go through the countryside of Europe. But instead, they had decided they were going to through the historic, and very beautiful cities of Europe.

'That would only cause problems for me.' Remus let out a shaky breath, feeling frustrated and ever annoyed by his problem. This problem, that may have seemed like no big deal to outsiders, was not a little problem.

Because of the monthly monster, his furry little problem, the wolf or whatever people liked to call it, he didn't see himself with a wife or kids, or even living directly in society. Remus imagined, and thought, that he would be living and dying alone because he didn't want to burden anyone with his issues.

"Remus!Mate! You're here! Come in!" Remus felt himself smiling, despite his thoughts about his ruined future life, and walked in. He was greeted with a grinning James and a smiling Sirius, but then he eyes went past them, and spotted a third person.

She was standing on the stairs, looking over him, taking in the sight of his slightly unruly hair, his dishevelled clothes and the scars that marred his face. Remus, in turn, looked at her, noting that she had a pure-blood stance and stature, but the scars that were on _her _face made her different.

"How was your summer so far?" Remus tore his eyes from the girl on the stairs, and while distracted, talked with James and Sirius. Although he kept his eyes on the girl with the scars, and made a note to talk to her later, and try and figure out what had happened.

"James and I were planning pranks and we need your help." Remus felt the need to roll his eyes at James and Sirius. While they did need his help, it wasn't to plan or make the actual pranks happen, they needed his help to make sure it was untraceable to them.

"Can I get settled in, James? And then we will plan." Remus saw James frown and shut his mouth for only a moment, before he grinned again and nodded.

"James's crazy, scarred cousin is here. Her name is Megan." Sirius told Remus, an 'as a matter of fact' tone to his voice, and Remus's eyes darted back to the stairs. He now had a name that he could put to the face, and that would make it easier to talk to her.

"Sirius wants to snog her." Remus actually rolled his eyes at this statement, and started walking to the stairs, and up them, when Sirius and James started arguing.

Remus, for the few seconds he saw her, knew that Jame's cousin wasn't really Sirius's type, and he didn't think she ever would be. He didn't mean any offence to her, but it seemed that as he thought that, it sounded offensive.

"I wonder where she got those scars..." Remus walked into his room, only stopping at the door and looking out into the hall, into the only room that had an open door, and saw Megan there.

She was lying on her bed reading and, from a far at least, her scars seemed to almost disappear, and when you could hardly see them, she looked quite pretty. Remus noted, because he had scars, that scars didn't, or shouldn't make anyone uglier; only more interesting.

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Megan

Megan saw him come in from her spot on the stairs, and she looked him over quickly, her eyes taking in his dishevelled clothes, his messy hair and finally, her eyes landed on his scars, and they stayed there.

There was no real, or evident, pattern to his scars and, unlike hers which were caused by her parents, his seemed to be random. Megan didn't know the story behind the scars, where they came from or what they were caused by, and at this moment, she didn't want to know.

She was trying to avoid James and Sirius as much as she could, not only from fear of being pranked, but because whenever she was near them, she saw the looks they cast her. She could usually handle the looks, she got them from her parents, but the looks she got from almost strangers were different.

"Not that he's really a stranger. We are related but we haven't done much together, or seen much of each other. And then there's the matter of his friends, Sirius and...Remus...they are strangers." Megan spoke quietly and bitterly, thoughts running through her mind of the many things they could be saying.

'Disgusting, vile, ugly, pitiful, like a kicked dog. We should just put her out of misery. I doubt anyone would miss her. I doubt anyone will want to marry her, and even if they did, they would be knocked down a few notches.' Her mother had said that to her father, not trying to be quiet about it either, a few nights prior to them leaving her in a house alone.

These memories of her parents talking about her hopeful, yet highly unlikely, marriage offers, these 'talks' they had, didn't really affect her anymore. She had heard them from the moment she was little, and she had grown up with them. They had resonated in her and grew until they had almost consumed her. She believed every word of them, that is why, as of late, she had decided to kick marriage aside and travel instead.

If she were to travel, instead of being married, she could live a normal, even great life, without being held down by a husband, children and the overbearing weight of pure-blood society. If she were to leave, right after she was finished schooling, she could feel free and weightless.

"That's what I want." Megan put a smile on her face, a truly genuine smile, and stretched out across the bed she was occupying for the summer, and picked up a book she had started reading.

She enjoyed reading as it was, but reading held a double meaning for her. It was not only a way to keep her occupied, but i was also a means of escape. If her parents were having a party, which she was never allowed to attend, she would start reading. If her parents were arguing, she would start reading.

Megan would pick up a good book and let her wand wander off, drifting from thoughts of her parents, to imagining and replaying everything that happened in the books she was reading. She wouldn't have to think about what a disappointment she was, or how her parents had wished she wasn't their child, she could just escape.

"That's a good book. I read it last year." Megan jumped and dropped her book on the ground, surprised by the voice in front of her, and when she did look up, she saw James's friend, Remus.

She saw his scars better, now that he was up close, and she saw that he had many on his face, but they had differed from hers. While her scars were only on the left side of her face, and had faded to a light pink, some of his scars looked quite new and fresh.

"It is good. I just started it." Megan spoke softly and picked up her book, showing Remus all of her scars, waiting for him to flinch just like Sirius and James had, but he didn't. He didn't back away, flinch or get a certain look in his eyes. He just smiled.

"I think you'll find the middle of the book most interesting." Remus smiled at her and held out his hand, causing Megan to look at it oddly.

She didn't have a clue why he hadn't left her yet, she had shown him her scars, her marred, plain face, and yet he was still there. He was smiling and holding out his hand, and not turning away.

"You're supposed to shake it." Megan's eyes narrowed and she stuck out her hand, and in an annoyed tone of voice, she spoke.

"I know that." She felt him grasp her hand and shake it, still smiling and still not leaving.

"It's nice to meet you. I have to go and finish unpacking, but i just wanted to introduce myself." Megan nodded, slowly, feeling confused at Remus's actions. She was so used to people scowling at her, getting looks of disgust at her scars, that when someone didn't scowl at her, she didn't know how to react.

"I'll see you around Megan." With another, kind, polite, smile, she watched him walk back to his room and, like he said, started to unpack.

She watched him for a few moments, trying to figure out why this boy, this new, strange boy, hadn't treated her scars like something vile. She saw the scars that were present on his face, but she didn't think that would stop his from being disgusted by hers. But it seemed that they did stop him. He held no sign of disgust on his face or in his eyes. None.

'And that makes me even more confused.' Megan shook her head and put her eyes back on the pages of the book she was reading. She was going to push this encounter off to the side, and focus on the task at hand, her favourite task.

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Okay. So I feel a little impartial about this chapter. I don't think it was one of my favourites to write, but that's okay.

I want to thank the reviewers:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

DarkItalianAngel53

I also want to thank:

DarkItalianAngel53

ChocolateIsKryptonite

trustbroccoli23

Arina-Peachy

Thank you all!


	6. Chapter 6

The Lovers Dilemma

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Megan

Megan sat in her room, legs tucked under her, resting her back against the headboard of her bed. She had spent very little time outside, despite not being in her pure-blood, discriminating house, and she figured it was because of the peace and quiet. She enjoyed the quiet, she found it peaceful and relaxing, being able to think properly without having too much going on.

But Megan was also cautious, and a little leery of the quiet, especially when James and Sirius were in the house. She had heard their stories of the glory pranks they had played, on most Slytherins, and their favourite target, Severus Snape.

She had heard and listened, when she had been 'reading', and the silence with them kind of scared her. You never knew when they were going to pop out of nowhere, pulling some stupid, immature prank. Or pop out of nowhere and make fun of her, or do something mean.

'They find it funny, for sure, but they don't really know what it's like being on the other side of the laughs. Feeling low, pathetic, weak and tiny.' Megan bitterly thought, and with a loud 'thud' she smacked her head back on the wall behind her, annoyed.

She had thought that maybe Sirius, of all people, would know what it's like, especially from what had happened. Another count of her eavesdropping, which she was rather good at, had made her figure out what was going on with him.

While everyone else in the pure-blood community had thought Sirius was just a bastard son, that was far from the case. Sirius Black was not a bastard son who wanted to embarrass his parents, he was the victim of abuse. Like Megan, he was beaten and abused, made a fool of, just like her. He had scars just like her.

"Megan?" Megan let out a sigh and sat up, cracking her back and stretching before she stood up and made her way to the door. She put her handle on the knob, preparing for something to come flying at her, by the means of a 'funny prank'. But when she opened the door and stepped aside, there was nothing flying towards her face, just Mrs. Potter, smiling at her.

"May I come in?" Megan nodded, and let Mrs. Potter come in, before she shut the door to her room, only after taking a cautionary peek to make sure James or Sirius weren't there.

"Where are you planning on going to school after the summer?" Mrs. Potter had asked her politely, which Megan thought to be a little odd.

"I have been going to a small school outside of London. My parents are very esteemed donators to the school." Megan hid a scoff and a glare back, and instead, smiled politely.

Her parents being esteemed donators to the school she went to, was nothing more than a way of paying everyone off. Her parents had a way of making sure everyone looked the other way when it came to both, her scars and her plain jane face. That was nothing to do with making her feel good, but rather themselves.

"Well would you like to go to Hogwarts? I understand that your...home life has been...less than pleasant, and I can't imagine going to a small, private school, would help much especially with..." Megan heard her trail off as she searched for her next words, and Megan would've reacted with a tone, similar to the one she took with James and Sirius, but she couldn't.

Mrs. Potter had taken her in while her parents abandoned her for a summer full of pure-blood parties and functions, no doubt trying to make themselves, or their family name, climb the social ladder. She had no qualms with Mrs. Potter and she would not take the tone, and do what she did the first day she met James Potter and Sirius Black.

"I know what you are trying to say, and appreciate it, but Mrs Potter, my parents want me to go to the small school to save their reputation. They want as little people to see my scars as possible. I don't think they would want me going to a school with so many pure-bloods there. Particularly Malfoy, and Black, as well as Lestrange." Megan spoke as calmly as she could, but she could feel her voice wavering.

The thought of going to Hogwarts, the one school where she thought she may be accepted, just as she was, was riveting. She had gotten an acceptance letter to Hogwarts the day she had turned 11, the other letters not coming until a few days after.

Her parents, however, burned the letter however, telling her that 'Hogwarts was no school for someone like her'. Megan hadn't known then, but after she had gotten older, and read between the lines.

'Hogwarts was no school for someone with so many scars, and so many problems. Hogwarts was no place because important and rich pure-blood families were there, and they would judge her by her name, then her face.' Megan scowled and clenched her fists at the thought. She had always wanted to go to Hogwarts, but it seemed her parents always had, and always would, have a clutch on her future.

"You don't worry about your parents. I will deal with them. All you have to do is tell me if you want to go there. I will handle the rest." Mrs. Potter smiled at Megan, and stood up, the conversation over, and the decision up to Megan.

She now had a decision, whether it be hard or easy, up to her. She could choose to go to Hogwarts, and like Mrs. Potter had said, leave it up to her to talk to her parents, or she could continue her private, and small school education.

Megan knew that if she did go to Hogwarts, it be a breath of fresh air to her, a step away from her controlling parents, and she may get a chance to relax and make real friends. A chance to live, and study, and do things without the constant watch of her parents, or the constant reminder of shame and disappointment they got because of her.

"Yes. I would like to." Megan spoke confidently and calmly, although excitement was rushing through her, making her feel better than she had ever really felt. She may, just may have a chance to go to Hogwarts and actually live.

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Sirius

Sirius was already back into the full swing of planning pranks, and now that they had Remus, the pranks were only going to get better and better. Remus was the one that could, and did, make the pranks perfected. They always got him to help, despite his protests, even though he didn't actually perform the prank, they had gotten his help anyway.

"What happened to your cousin, James?" Sirius looked at Remus, his full attention on Rem and James, curious to know, if what he thought was actually right. Sirius had figured her parents were abusive, just like his, and he just wanted to know if he was right or not.

"I don't know. Mum knows but she won't tell me and she told me not to ask. She said it's a sensitive subject and not to press her for answers. Not that I could anyway. I mean, Remus I have no problems with your scars, cause I know where they came from. But those scars, they're only covering one side of her face, and they are covering almost her entire left side." James finished speaking, and Sirius watched him look both at him and Remus, almost looking for conformation.

From what he had said, and how he described the scars, Sirius knew it had to be from abuse. It didn't even really surprise him either, seeing as most pure-blood families had an abusive side to them. Whether it was in a small way, or like Sirius's family, and clearly Megan's, being more detrimental. Either way, small and secretive, or detrimental and in the open, the abuse was there.

"You're afraid of her and her scars?" Sirius spoke without thinking, and while he was also taken back by her scars, he was starting to feel sympathy. He had been there, he had felt the pain and the torture his parents had bestowed on him.

'I can't imagine the kind of pain she must have went through to receive those scars; the scars that marred her face and made her...' Sirius stopped himself before he finished his sentence. He didn't want to finish his sentence, and like he had imagined her family had told her, call her ugly.

She wasn't the type he went for, not at all, but that did not make her ugly, not by a long shot. She may not been stunningly beautiful like most pure-blood women were, or had heart stopping features, but she was not ugly. Sirius thought she was brave, having been put through whatever the hell she was put through, for her scars, and he even respected her for it.

'Not that I would say it to her. That wouldn't go over well. It would probably be painful for her.' Sirius shook his thoughts of Megan and her scars from his head, and instead filled them with possible and future pranks.

"We need to get Severus good this year." He spoke with a grin, all serious talk gone from the conversation, saved for another time that would hopefully not come soon.

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Alright. So here is another chapter, hope you guys love it. I would love to get more reviews so please review. There is also a poll on my profile, so if you wouldn't mind taking part in the poll.

Thanks to the reviewer:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

Let me know what you think of this chapter, and if you have a minute and want to do the poll it is in my profile.


	7. Chapter 7

The Lovers Dilemma

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Sirius

Sirius had been spending the last few days, weeks and even month, with James and Remus, planning jokes, playing exploding snap and enjoying the warm sun. But now, he was stuck in the Potters house, alone with Megan, while Remus, James and the Potters went out to Diagon Alley. Sirius would've opted to go, had it not been for his recent downfall in the pure-blood society, and his parents would be there.

The Potters, James and Remus, as well, had thought that it would be better if he wasn't there, so he couldn't start anything with his mother. Or say anything to his mother, who had a very large reputation for not being able to keep her mouth shut. So instead, he was stuck at the Potter's with James's cousin, and absolutely nothing to do.

Sirius knew that he could go and talk to Megan, try and talk to her and befriend her, but then he wasn't sure how he was going to start a conversation with her, or how to keep it. He didn't want to bring up her scars, or the fact that he was certain she was abused.

"Sirius?" Sirius stood up, shocked and a bit confused when he heard Megan's voice from the other side of the door, not overly polite like the first day he met her, but it sounded normal.

"Yeah?" He opened the door and was brought face to face with Megan, scars and all, staring at him. His eyes wandered her face, feeling less and less awkward each second he kept his eyes on her scars.

Her scars had scared him the first time they saw them on her, often being reminded of his own scars, but his scars were different. They were on places where they couldn't be seen, by muggles, 'half-bloods' or pure-bloods. His scars weren't on his face for the world to see, for the world to judge.

"I'm making dinner. Would you like some?" Sirius saw her looking at him, and he waited a moment before he nodded.

He had never had any meals cooked by his parents, they were always cooked by house elves, and he didn't know any pure-bloods that could actually cook things on their own, besides the Potters. He didn't know she could cook, and he mentally checked that off as something new he learned.

"You're cooking it? By hand?" Sirius saw Megan crack a smile, not a pure-blood or polite smile, but a real smile, a natural smile, and then nod. He was interested in watching her cook, finding it a little fascinating.

"Yes Sirius, I can cook. By hand." Sirius looked at her and shrugged, finding nothing better to do, and not wanting to be bored, he agreed.

Sirius walked after her, down the stairs and to the kitchen, watching the way she walked. Like most pure-blood women, she kept her shoulders back, stood straight and kept her head up, but Sirius thought that this, was not only a pure-blood way of walking, but as a kind of armour for her. It was a way to show the world that she was going to keep her head high, despite what it threw at her.

'She's trying to pass off her scars and her abuse as something she can handle, but I can tell it affects her. It affected her the day James and I stared, then looked away. She tries to pass it off as nothing, but I can tell it affects her.' He thought, to himself, getting distracted, until he head heard her start pulling out pots and pans.

"I'm making Italian. I hope you don't mind." Megan looked at Sirius, and Sirius looked back at her and shook his head. He didn't care what he had, he would eat it anyway. He had an almost bottomless pit, and he made almost nightly trips to the kitchens back at Hogwarts, finding both the food delicious and the brief solitary calming.

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Megan

Megan stood in the kitchen, above the stove and tried to ignore the eyes boring into her frame. She was cooking by hand, as she had liked to do since she was little, and had to fight the urge to roll her eyes every time Sirius asked a question.

"How do you know how to cook? Why don't you use magic? It's so much faster." Megan looked up at Sirius, still stirring the pot, then looked back down.

She had always been a little lonely, especially since her parents were ashamed of her, and they had barely let her around in the house, most commonly when they had a party. When there was a party, a pure-blood gathering, she wasn't allowed down the main corridors or the house or the main floors. So instead, she would sneak down to the kitchens and watch the house elves cook, without them knowing, until she was caught.

"I used to sneak down to the kitchens while my parents had parties. They would all be gossiping in the sitting rooms, or dining room, and I would be told to stay in my room so I wouldn't be seen. I got really bored one day, and hungry, so I snuck down the kitchen and watched the house elves cook. I was caught once by the house elves and once by my father." Megan told Sirius, looking at him as he listened to her, and thought, unsure, if she should tell him the whole story.

"My father had caught me and drug me out of the kitchen by my arm. He dug his nails in and pushed me into the dining room. I fell against a chair and got a bruise that covered my elbow and part of my arm. He started to yell at me and told me I was disgusting and ugly, vile and worthless. He told me that I was not to spend time with the house elves and that I should save what little dignity I had." Megan did not look at Sirius, instead, she kept stirring, finding that it would be hard to look him in the eyes.

"How did you get the scars?" Megan tore her eyes away from the pot, and looked at Sirius, her dark green eyes meeting his grey eyes. She could see the confidence in his eyes, the playful spark, the bravery, but behind all that, she saw the guarded look he had. It was the same she had, the same one she had gotten because of the abuse.

"He started hitting me, taking his frustrations of having an ugly, fat girl, one who wouldn't get many offers of marriage. A girl with a plain face and pudgy, a girl who wasn't stunning or eye catching." Megan gripped the spoon in her hand tightly, then shook her head, stopping the images and pictures flying through her brain.

"The linguine is done." Megan took the pot off the stove, and drained it in the sink, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

She had never told anyone the story of her scars and she didn't really understand why she was telling Sirius, of all people. She had a feeling that it had to do with the fact that they had some of the same back story, both being abused and being extradited by their families. But she had no idea why she was revealing so much of her story, without even knowing Sirius. She had no idea if he was going to tell James, or make fun of her behind her back, but she knew that it had felt good telling someone.

'Even if it's just another outcast, at least someone knows a bit of my story.' Megan took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, having the memories of her abuse push against the wall she had put up.

'**No.**' Megan thought, and grit her teeth, even though she knew it was bad, and mentally pushed back against the wall. She was not going to let the memories thrash at her all at once, or even at all. No, she was going to fight back and she was going to win.

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Alright so here is another chapter. I want you to enjoy it, even if it was just a filler, with a little revealing of Megan's backstory. I want to thank the reviewers:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

Julie London

beatrueheart

I also want to thank:

beatrueheart

msewester

CelticCrossings

Sorry if I missed anyone, and if anyone is wondering, the poll is tied. So if you have a moment, the poll is in my profile. Oh and I apologize for the shorter chapter, I'm finding myself getting a bit of writer's block. :(


	8. Chapter 8

The Lovers Dilemma

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Megan

Megan looked at Sirius, rather glanced at him time to time, as they ate, waiting for a reaction to both, her home-cooked, hand cooked food, and silence that overtook him. She watched and waited and saw his expression change from an 'I don't know what to expect' expression to a 'that isn't as bad as I thought' expression.

"This is quite good. I wasn't expecting much, but I actually like it." Megan felt a smile spread on her face, making her scars stretch as well, and felt a burst of confidence. She had never had anyone compliment her cooking, albeit she had never had anyone actually eat her cooking besides herself, but nonetheless it made her feel good getting a compliment.

"Thank you. Like I told you, I got the lessons from the house elves." She kept eating in between bites, which she knew was impolite, but without the shadow of her parents creeping over her shoulders, she felt more relaxed and natural.

"You didn't get the scars from your dad hitting you. Those scars are different, they come from a knife." Megan looked at Sirius curiously, wondering how he knew that, or had figured it out. She even went to ask him, or try to at least, but as she went to open her mouth, nothing came out.

"You told one of your stories, I should tell one of mine." She looked up from her bowl of pasta, and looked at him, a stony, hard expression taking over his face. She found it intriguing that two people, who shared a similar upbringing, could be so different.

Sirius was confident and outgoing, almost making sure anyone who knew, or cared, about his disowned status saw that it didn't affect him. He was as confident as ever, as outgoing as ever, and he wasn't going to let his pure-blood family, or the lack there of, ruin his life.

Megan was opposite. While she too, wanted to be confident in herself and be outgoing, she did care, to an extent. She wanted to be welcomed by her family and accepted, because they were her family. As horrible and bitter and cruel as they were to her, they were the ones she grew up with. They may have pushed her away and abused her, kicked while she was down, and made her feel worthless, but they were family.

"How do you know?" Megan spoke, after minutes of thinking to herself, quietly and weakly. She didn't dare break her gaze from Sirius's, hoping that if she stared enough, he would think that the knife theory was a lie.

"I have scars like those on my arms." She heard Sirius speak slowly with an edge to his voice that made shivers go up her spine. She felt threatened by the look in his eyes, knowing that was the look of survival.

"Sirius...I..." Megan stopped herself when she heard the door to the house opening, followed by 4 distinct voices. She looked away from Sirius and towards the voices, only for a moment, and when she had turned back, the look that was in Sirius's eyes were gone.

"I see you made dinner. I'm glad you could find something to eat." Megan smiled at Mrs. Potter, feeling like the conversation she and Sirius had should stay between them. She didn't want him telling Mrs. Potter and James her stories and she was going to show him the same courtesy.

"Yes we did." Sirius answered for Megan, and quickly, before he ran upstairs with James and Remus, a bag between them, filled to the brim.

Megan looked at the bag, before it disappeared and tried to figure out what it was, but James and Remus were hiding it pretty well. She could guess, at least from the look on the boy's faces, that it had something to do with pranking.

"Megan, have you thought anymore about going to Hogwarts?" She looked at Mrs. Potter, who was holding a bag in her hand, with from her position looked like school robes.

'_She's gotten me robes_?' Megan furrowed her eyebrows, sure that they were for her, and tried to think of how she was going to react. Should she be mad that Mrs. Potter had gotten them without saying yes? Or should she consider this a push to do something she always wanted?

"Yes I have." Megan spoke and was taken back, by the sound of her own voice, finding that her brain and her vocal cords weren't on the same page.

"Oh that's great because I picked up school robes for you, and before you say anything, I just want you to try them on and see what you think. It may help you decide what to do." Mrs. Potter gave her a smile, and Megan watched as she started to pull different items of clothing out of the bag.

She pulled out a skirt, a white dress shirt, a plain black sweater, a pair of stockings, some black shoes, and finally a cloak. Once they were all laid out, Megan reached out and touched the sweater. It felt soft under her hands, and her mind started reeling, thoughts of what would it would feel like to be wearing these, going to a school where she might be accepted and welcomed.

"Well go on, try them on then." Mrs. Potter gave Megan a gently push, her arms full with the items, and with a look back at the woman, Megan walked to the bathroom.

She quickly got dressed, feeling nervous at the feel of all the fabrics on her skin, and the way they fit. She was nervous because she had, not admittingly, already made up her mind to go, and she was scared because of her parents. How would her parents react? What would they say?

'_Do it. Go to the school and be yourself. Have fun. Live_.' Megan took a deep breath, and with those thoughts in her head, she walked out of the bathroom and back down to the kitchen. Mrs. Potter stood there, waiting for her, and when Megan came out, she saw a smile grace her features.

"Oh Megan, you look beautiful." Megan had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, and instead, played with the hem of her skirt. She had never been told that she was beautiful, or pretty, and that compliment made her feel awkward, uncomfortable.

'_You are an ugly, fat, scarred child and the only reason anyone would want to marry you is because of your name. And even that might not be enough_.' Megan seethed at the words her mother and father had spoken. It seemed that as she was spending more time at the Potters, she was becoming angrier and more hostile, desperate to change the outlook she had of herself.

"I am going..." Megan cleared her throat, and stood straight and tall, feeling like the answer she was going to give, deserved the appropriate posture.

"I am going to Hogwarts. I've made up my mind. I'm going to be a Hogwarts student, and no one or nothing is going to stop me."

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Sirius

Sirius sat in James's room, his back against the wall, and a sugar quill between his lips. James, Remus and himself were going over all of the necessary details of the first prank of the school year, when the conversation suddenly came to a halt. He wasn't sure if that was due to James shoving chocolate frogs in his mouth, or due to the fact that he was distracted.

He had heard one of Megan's stories, quickly finding out that the scars didn't come from a smack to the face, but a knife. And whether he had wanted to or not, he knew that he was going to have to tell her one of his eventually. He just didn't know which one, or when and where to tell her. He didn't want to tell her around Mr. or Mrs. Potter, or even James and Remus.

It wasn't that they hadn't known any of the stories, because they had heard them, James and Remus, had heard many of them, but there were some they hadn't heard. They were some stories of his, certain ones, that he knew could really only been told to Megan because she knew what it was like. She knew what it was like to be on the end of a knife, a hand, a wand even. She understood.

"So what did you do while we were gone? Did you spend all of your time in your room?' Sirius looked at James and shook his head, trying to decide what to tell him. He didn't want to tell him that him that Megan and himself were talking, just because he might ask questions, but he knew that James would probably catch him lying.

'_Not that I'm not a good liar, but James knows me, and he knows when I'm lying._' Sirius mentally sighed, and took a deep breath.

"I was talking to Megan and she cooked dinner." Sirius tried to shrug it off nonchalantly, but he knew from the grin on James face, that he was going to make jokes.

"Dinner eh? So you two had a date?" Sirius felt a sharp elbow to his side, and he rolled his eyes before he shoved James.

"It wasn't a date. She was cooking and she asked if I was hungry. She offered and I'm glad she did because I might have starved otherwise." Sirius smirked, and pat his stomach, hoping that James would carry on the subject of food and stomachs.

"That's probably true, padfoot. You've got quite the stomach on you." Sirius grinned at James and proudly pat his stomach, finding that it was a bottomless pit, but that didn't bother him.

"Why thank you James. My stomach and I are quite happy together." Sirius saw Remus roll his eyes before taking another chocolate frog, hopeful to get one before James finished them off.

"But I'm not the only one, eh prongs? You and those chocolate frogs made quite a happy pair." Sirius grinned and continued to joke around with Remus and James, the conversation with Megan pushed to the back of his mind, hopefully for another moment when he could get her alone.

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Okay so here is another chapter. The poll standings are: S-2, R-1. So please keep voting, and I want to thank the reviewers:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

JennLD

And I also wanted to thank the followers:

JennLD

Gaara Sempai

And the people who favorited the story(not sure if I thanked you yet):

PhoenixE27119812

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JennLD


	9. Chapter 9

The Lovers Dilemma

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Megan

Megan sat quietly in the library, both to keep anyone from waking up, and to try to keep the peace she had been feeling. She had felt quite peaceful, with only the dim candles and a book to keep her company, and she wanted to keep it that way. But even as she was sitting there, quiet and peaceful, she felt like something was off, like something was about to happen.

She had that feeling a few times before, it made her sick to think that she felt this way at the Potters, she wasn't at her home, she shouldn't feel like something bad was going to happen. The Potters would never do what her parents did, they would never take a knife to her body and face, they would never draw blood from her. They would never kick her when she was down, and keep her down, they would never do that. They weren't her parents.

With one quick look around the room, she put her book down, and quietly as she could, walked over to the bay window. She had placed her hand against the window, and pushed it open, jumping back expectantly, as an owl flew through the window.

Megan watched the owl curiously, neither recognizing or knowing who the owl was from, she reached out and grabbed the letter in its beak, and quickly withdrew her hand. She had no idea, and almost didn't want to know, why an owl was coming to her at this time of night, and how it had known she would be here.

"Where did you come from?" She asked herself, and partly the owl, hoping that it would give her some sort of answer, but she knew she would get none. The owl just looked at her for a moment, and when she hadn't offered it a treat, or any kind of food, it gave an angry hoot and flew back out the window.

"Well alright then, you rude owl." Megan scowled and closed the window, before she turned her attention back to the letter. She turned it over a few times in her hands, before she put her thumb under the fold of the envelope and ripped it open.

Once the letter was open, it flew from her hands, and an angry mouth and eyes formed, and Megan's eyes widened and she reached out to grab it, before it started screeching at her.

"MEGAN ROMANOFF! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD GO BEHIND OUR BACKS AND CONVINCE YOUR AUNT TO PUT YOU INTO THE NO GOOD, PATHETIC SCHOOL OF HOGWARTS! WE ARE EVEN MORE ASHAMED OF YOU THEN WE ALREADY WERE! DO YOU ACTUALLY THINK ANYONE WILL WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH A NASTY, DISGUSTING SCARRED CREATURE LIKE YOU?! WHEN YOU GET BACK FROM YOUR FIRST SEMESTER YOU WILL GET A HARSHER PUNISHMENT..." That's all Megan heard of the letter before she saw it burst into flames. She hadn't moved, although she heard movement around her, but she stayed in her place until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Megan didn't have to turn around, or move or even hear their voice to know who it was, but she did want to know why they were downstairs. She didn't even have a chance to ask before her emotions had finally, and suddenly come to a halt, and the walls she had in her mind, had come crumbling down all in one moment.

"Megan..." She heard James from behind her, and she tried to focus on the sound of his voice, instead of the flood of emotions and memories attacking her all at once. It was far too much to handle all at once, and the precious and necessary control Megan had on her emotions, was slipping all too rapidly.

"Megan are you okay?" She clenched her eyes shut, trying to build the walls back up, trying to shove the beast back in its cage, and get some peace. But as she heard Jame's behind her, shifting her weight, she had another thought she had yet to think about.

"I'm fine James." Megan spoke quietly and softly, not trusting to speak up, for fear of losing control of her voice. She had already lost control of the defensive walls in her mind, she did not need to lose control of something else.

"The howler...was...they abuse you? Is that were you got all the scars from? Your parents?"

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James

James had heard the howler, before his feet had even touched the main floor, and he had seen the howler, before he had seen the person facing it. It didn't take much thought or action to burn the howler, he had a lot of experience with howlers, and soon as he had heard it, it had burned.

"Megan..." James was surprised to see Megan standing where the howler used to be, rigid and back straight like a board, and it suddenly made sense to James. He had finally understood where she had gotten the scars, and why she was here.

He now knew her parents were abusing her, and it had made sense with the scars, and he felt almost guilty for not realizing it sooner. But to James, having neither grown up with abuse, or even really being around abuse, aside from being best mates with Sirius, hadn't known the signs.

"Megan are you okay?" James had placed his hand on her shoulder, hearing no reply or even a form of a reply, but he figured he shouldn't wait for one. He figured she was either in shock from having the howler scream at her, he would at this time of the morning, or she was ether trying to get her emotions in check.

"I'm fine James." He heard her speak quietly, and he knew without a doubt in his mind, that she was anything but fine. He could hear it in her voice, and even with his hand on her shoulder, he could feel her shaking.

He didn't blame her for shaking or even speaking quietly, he didn't blame her at all. In fact he couldn't believe she had held on to her composure for this long. He didn't think he could, he was sure of it, and Sirius certainly hadn't. Sirius had been pushed to a certain point until he had snapped and got out of the situation.

'_But clearly Megan didn't. This is the first time I've seen her here. She must still be at her home, with her parents.' _James shook his head, not really sure how to react or think.

He was trying to think about himself being put into that situation, in a place where he was being abused and had nowhere to go. But he wasn't in that situation, he had no idea what it was like, aside from Sirius had told him.

"The howler...was...they abuse you? Is that were you got all of the scars from? Your parents?" James once again, shook his head and let a shudder roll over his body, feeling sick at the thought of someone's parents putting a knife, to not only their body, but their face.

"Megan I'm so..." James stopped himself, trying to find the right words, and at the sound of a sob breaking through the silence. The first time he had heard it, he had wondered if he was just hearing things, or whether his mind was playing tricks on him.

'_She is crying.'_ He stood there awkwardly, patting her shoulder, not sure what to do or what not to do. He had no real experience with crying girls, he had never really seen his mother cry, and he had no siblings, the only crying girls he had seen were the ones Sirius broke up with.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." James spoke slowly, trying his hardest not to offend her or make her even more upset than she was. He didn't need her to become even more distraught, and even though he didn't know how to comfort her, he wasn't going to leave her.

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I have no words for this chapter. I have two sets of words for why the update took so long: Assassin's Creed and Bioshock Infinite. I was distracted by those two amazing games. But here is an update, one I'm not too proud of, but here's hoping you like it.

Thank you to the reviewer:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

And thank you to:

Jovie Black


	10. Chapter 10

The Lovers Dilemma

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James

After the incident, the howler that had woken James up, he found himself questioning Megan in private, away from the eyes and ears of his parents and Remus. He knew that Sirius knew about Megan's parents and her situation, it was hard not to after seeing the scars, and that made him feel more comfortable when he talked to her.

He spent much of the summer talking to her, trying to get more out of her, like he did with Sirius, but he found that she wasn't as open to share. She had kept pretty tight-lipped about most of things that had happened to her, aside from one or two minor things. But aside from that, she was very quiet about her abuse.

"James, Sirius...promise us something..." James had been packing, along with Sirius and Remus, when his parents had come in and asked to speak to Sirius and himself. He wasn't worried, wasn't afraid that he would get into trouble, instead he was calm and if he knew what was going to be said.

"I want you two to look after her while you are at Hogwarts. This is the biggest school she will be going to and as much as she tries to hide it, I know she is scared and nervous." James looked at his mother, not saying anything for a moment, and took a minute to process everything.

He and Sirius were being asked to keep an eye on Megan, take her under their wing, or so to speak, and to make sure she felt comfortable in the school. James would've had protests before he had heard the howler, complaining that it took away from his pranking time. But as of recently, after hearing the Howler and seeing the look she had in her eyes, the look of a scared, kicked puppy, he knew that he had to look after her.

"I will mum. We both will." James nodded and looked at Sirius, a mixed expression of his face, both of understanding and a look that James couldn't quite catch.

"Thank you." James smiled at his mum, hiding an unpleasant look behind his smile. He had known what would happen if they didn't look after her, if they had let her be by herself.

'People would tear her apart. Maybe not Gryffindor's, maybe not Hufflepuff's, but certain Ravenclaws and all of Slytherin would tear her apart. They would make her miserable.' James grimly thought to himself, of all the Slytherin's and their pure-blood and appearance based criteria. She would certainly fit the pure-blood part, but the appearance...

He looked across the hall, and into his cousin's room, relaxing on her bed, a smile on her face, a genuine smile, and felt anger start to rise in him. He couldn't believe that anyone would do that, or have the gumption to hurt someone in that way.

'It makes me sick.' He felt his stomach churn and quickly shifted his thoughts from his cousin and the abuse, and instead thought about the upcoming year and quidditch, and of course, Lily Evans.

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Megan

Megan clenched her fist around the handle of her trunk and took several deep breaths, both to calm her, and to make sure she understood that she still needed to breathe. She felt nervous and sick and she felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. But even as she felt sick and nervous, she also felt a bit empowered.

"Platform 9 and 3/4. Here it is." Megan heard James's voice from behind her, excitement filled his voice, and if she weren't so confused about the lack of a 'platform 9 and 3/4' she would be too.

"There's just a blank wall here. Where's the platform?" She asked James, Sirius and Remus, and they were silent for a moment, before they all started laughing at her.

"You just run through it. Watch me go first." She watched James as he smiled and then started running towards the wall. Megan's eyes widened and she felt her breath hitch in her throat, expecting James to crash into a solid brick wall. But instead, he simply disappeared, to which Megan let out a gasp.

She was pure-blood, she knew magic, but that was unlike anything she had seen before. Her school had no hidden platforms or anything of the sorts. Her school was just like a normal school, and if muggles were to stumble upon it, which was unlikely, it would appear just an empty field.

"You're mouth is hanging open, Megan. Trying to catch some flies?" Megan snapped out of her daze and reached out and gave Sirius a shove. He didn't more very far, he was of course far stronger than her, but he did get the point.

"I'm next." She watched as a cocky grin made it's way onto his face, and Megan thought back to the conversations they had in the summer. There was no longer a dark look in his eyes, or a grim look on his face brought out by talk of his family, but instead confidence.

"You can go before me Megan. That way I can make sure you made it through safely. James and Sirius should be on the other side waiting for you." Megan nodded and when she turned back to face the wall, Sirius was gone, and then it was just her and Remus.

She knew that Remus was the only one who didn't know about her scars, just like she didn't now about his. She had figured that they would tell each other, but only after a trust had formed between them, a solid trust.

"Go Megan." She felt Remus's hand on her shoulder and she took a deep breath, gripped the cart with her things on it, and started running towards the wall. She clenched her eyes tightly and held her breath, even seeing Sirius and James go before her, she was still nervous.

'Am I through?' Megan took a slow, deep breath, and opened her eyes seeing both James and Sirius staring at her, both laughing at the face she was making. She rolled her eyes, straightened her back and kept her head held high.

'This is where it counts. This is where I must keep my head up, despite what others have said. That may be the only good thing my parents have taught me.' She bitterly thought back to the many things she was taught and had to stop herself before her thoughts went too far.

"Welcome to platform 9 and 3/4, Megan." Megan watched as James and Sirius took steps back and she got the full view of 9 and 3/4.

'It's beautiful.' Megan smiled, one of her genuine smiles, and took a step forwards. The train that was taking them too Hogwarts, was one of the most beautiful things she had seen.

"She's having a better reaction than I had when I had first seen it." She ignored the laughs and snorts of Sirius and James behind her, and instead stared at the train in front of her.

"James don't patronize her. She has been very isolated in both her schooling and her upbringing." Megan felt relief at Mrs. Potter, both understanding her and defending her, and felt jealous of James for having such a wonderful and caring mother.

"Alright well it's almost time to go. James, Sirius, remember what we said, and try not to get so many detentions this year." Mr. Potter smiled at James, a joking tone to his voice, and Megan had figured that this was something that was said every year, but not heeded by James and Sirius.

"Goodbye Megan. Have a good year." She felt herself being pulled into a hug, by Mrs. Potter first, and then by Mr. Potter, before she was let go.

"We'll write to you often. We promise." Megan nodded and promised to do the same, before she turned on her heel and started to make her way to the train.

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Alright so she is officially on her way to Hogwarts! I felt like it was time to skip the summer and throw her right into the thick of Hogwarts. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter.

I want to thank the reviewers:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

And there was also a guest reviewer as well, so thank you to the both of you.


	11. Chapter 11

The Lovers Dilemma

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Remus

Remus quickly fell into the pattern that he usually did,that had developed ever since the first year he had befriended, and sat with, James and Sirius. They would sit there, laugh and plan pranks, that he would help out with, and try and prevent them from getting caught. Meanwhile, he would sit and read, a book he had recently picked up, and then he would smile and make polite conversation with Lily Evans, when she walked by and yelled at James. But this year, this train ride was different and it was because of the scarred teenage girl sitting beside him, feeling almost the same way he was.

'_We are both embarrassed by our scars, both ashamed, even though she tried not to show it, I can see it in her eyes.'_ Remus put his book down, just underneath his cheek bones and took a look at Megan, trying to be inconspicuous.

She was busy looking out the window, at the passing scenery, and he noticed a far off look in her eyes. It was the same one Sirius had, often when he thought no one was looking, and it made Remus wary of what had really happened to her.

"Megan? Would you like to read a book? I have one that you could borrow." Remus spoke softly, not wanting to make her jump.

"No thank you Remus." He saw her turn and look at him, her green eyes meeting his, before she directed her eyes to her cousin and Sirius.

"Alright. Let me know if you change your mind." With that, Remus once again moved the book back up, covering his face, and landed his eyes on the words on the pages. But instead of reading, he was distracted by a few things that had clouded his mind.

The thoughts were swarming his brain, and it almost reminded him of a storm. It started out slow and quiet, just a few thoughts swarming, before more started piling up. The storm in his brain started to get darker, stronger, before it was a full frontal hurricane in his mind.

"Moony? Are you okay?" Remus snapped his head up, to face James, and as soon as he did, the storm was over and his thoughts had quieted down.

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Megan

Megan sat there, both listening to James and Sirius's laughter and pranking plans, and spending her time looking at the passing scenery. She was feeling almost nothing but nerves at the upcoming year at Hogwarts, her first ever, and felt anxious at what to expect.

'_James and Sirius spoke very highly about Hogwarts. They had gone on about how it the years were the best of their life. But they also seemed so popular, good at making friends, charming and confident. That isn't what I am. At all.'_ Megan frowned and flicked her eyes towards the window, and had to remind herself that this was an opportunity to make anew, pave a new life, and be normal.

"Alright Megan. We need to have a talk. There are certain people you need to stay away from." Megan looked at James before she felt herself being squished against the window, and angled her body to the window to make more room.

"What people?" Megan asked and shot Sirius a look, to which he simply grinned back, and moved her body, trying to make more room for him in between herself and Remus.

"Slytherin's. Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, most other Slytherin's. Just stay away from them." Megan heard the name Lucius Malfoy, and her nose scrunched up, as if she had tasted and smelt something disgusting.

'_I would never go near Malfoy. He is the scum of the earth in my point of view.'_ She knew that she would sound like her mother, refering to someone as 'scum of the earth' but she truly had hated Malfoy, with every fibre of her being.

She hadn't had to see him very often, as she was hardly allowed to attend any pure-blood parties and functions, save for one. Once a year she would make an appearance at a pure-blood party, just to prove that she was actually alive and not a rotting corpse.

She wasn't sure if it was for her parents benefit, to prove that they hadn't yet murdered their daughter, or put Megan in her place. She was sure, or her parents were sure, that if she had made an appearance with the ugly scars of hers, that it would further instill the thought that she was worthless.

"I would never go near Malfoy. Ever. I detest Malfoy almost as much as I detest my own parents. He is evil, vile and plain mean to his very core." Megan scoffed and a dark look covered her eyes, one that she didn't try to hide, and felt a memory creeping through the cracks of her mind.

She had made an appearance at one of the parties last year, wearing some ridiculous dress her mother made her wear, her hair done in a way that she didn't like, and way too much makeup, in an attempt to cover her scars. She had hated the way she looked that night, and she made it evident by placing a foul expression on her face.

Her parents spent the night talking her up to any available pure-blood man, young or old, trying to get her married off, and Malfoy was no exception. He was one of the first men they approached, almost begging, offering anything they could for Megan's hand, including Megan's virginity. They had offered it all, like a lamb for the slaughter, just something to get rid of.

Malfoy, she had been watching while the discussion was going on, had an expression on his face, that portrayed her as a burden She knew it was true, to her parents and to many of the pure-blood families and men, she was a burden But for the right price, and the right wording, she would be a burden they might be able to deal with. But watching Malfoy, watching the way he had looked at her, she knew that she wasn't worth it. Just from the look on his face, and the way he scowled at her name, at her scars and at her, she knew he would never stoop that low.

'_She is not worth enough. He didn't go for the offer. Even with her virginity thrown in with the offer, it still wasn't enough. I fear we'll never get rid of her.'_ Megan remembered the way her parents had spoke, the way Malfoy's face had changed, all the expressions he held. They were all adding up to one thing, the same thing that had gotten thrown in her face, every day: I am worth nothing. _  
_

"Megan are you okay?" She heard James first, then Sirius. She didn't see them, but she heard them, somewhere back in her mind, she heard them trying to get her attention, but she wasn't listening. She was too focused on the memory that had slipped through the cracks, the memory that was running through her mind, getting her agitated and angry.

'_I have never been so disgusted in my life. My parents practically whoring me out, in hopes that they would get more money and their disgusting daughter of their hands.'_ Megan felt something surge inside of her, the thought of her virginity being offered to Malfoy, powering the surge, and before she could stop it, she felt something explode inside of her.

"Megan!" She heard the brief sound of James, screaming her name, before she heard a loud shattering noise, followed by something sharp cutting her skin. It didn't feel the same as the knife, and it didn't go as deep, but she still felt it, whatever it was. And then, soon enough, it was just blackness followed by a dull thud to her head.

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Alright so I left you with a cliffhanger! Whether it's a good cliffhanger or a bad one, it's a cliffhanger nonetheless.

I want to thank:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

Theta-McBride

And those who favourited the story and followed it:

Theta-McBride

Elyon Cedar

Theta-McBride

Sorry if I missed anyone! Sorry for the short chapter. :( It makes me sad that I didn't write more.


	12. Chapter 12

The Lovers Dilemma

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Sirius

Sirius saw the shards of glass from the light, and before they hit him, he muttered a spell that turned them into paper. At first he reacted in shock, he hadn't believed that had actually happened, and then it turned into worry, once he saw that Megan wasn't moving, only breathing steadily. he turned and looked at James, who was no longer at his side, but rather at Megan's, pulling out the glass that had cut her skin.

"I haven't seen that happen since my magic first started. I got angry and it burst and I broke a door." Sirius looked at Remus, and nodded, agreeing with him. He also had never seen someone's magic do that, besides when it was uncontrolled.

"I wonder what happened or what pushed her to the edge?" Sirius looked at James, and then back at Megan, almost wishing he knew legilimens, so he could go back and find out just what pushed her to the edge.

He had a feeling, and almost knew, that it had something to do with her scars and the abuse in which they were made. But he also knew, as much as she had told him, that there was much more she held secretive.

"Let's move her up to the bench." Sirius nodded, and helped James lift her up to the bench, the unoccupied one, making sure she was stretched out, before he sat down again. James had also sat down, but at her feet, which Sirius knew would be better than him sitting at her feet. James was her cousin, rightfully so he should be the one sitting closest to Megan.

"I wonder when she'll wake up." Sirius wondered that himself, but instead of asking, he was distracted by the compartment door opening, followed by Peter walking in, arms full of candy.

He hadn't seen Peter on the platform, albeit he was with James and Megan, coaxing her through the brick wall, and wasn't paying too much attention to all that around him.

"Who's the girl?" Sirius looked from Peter, to Megan, and tried hard to think of how to explain the situation. He would not and could not tell Peter about her situation, it wasn't his story to tell, and he didnt' think Megan would want many people knowing.

'_Not like me anyway. I didn't care if people knew. The more people know about my horrid parents, the more screwed up their lives become' _Sirius was bitter about his entire family, save for a few people, but he knew that probably wasn't the case for Megan.

"That's my cousin Peter. Her name is Megan." James answered for Sirius and he was glad, once James spoke, Peter wouldn't ask questions.

Sirius looked at Peter, and waited for him to react, when he saw him looking over her face, particularly her scars. Sirius felt his eyes narrow and his face harden, and he didn't have to look at James to know he was doing the same thing.

"What's wrong with her face?" Sirius stood up, fists clenched and was about to hit Peter, when James beat him to the punch, all puns intended. He heard a loud thud, and when he looked over at Peter, he saw a bruise already forming over his left eye, thanks to James.

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Megan

_Megan swung her hands back and forth, her parents waking in front of her, with not a care in the world. She was going to Diagon Alley for the first time, feeling both excited and nervous, for new dress robes and new things to play with. She was always getting new things to play with or new clothes, not really knowing why, but she always seemed to get them when her parents were having a party. _

_'One that I'm not allowed to go to. Yet.' Megan smiled cheerfully, looking up at her mother, her long dark hair, and her fair, clear skin were indicators that she had been, and still was, very beautiful. _

_Megan then looked at her father, who stood tall, head in the air, confident and handsome, as handsome as one could look with no sign of a smile. He had strong, yet striking features, making him seem like a force to be reckoned with. _

_"Mother? Father? When can I go to one of your parties?" Megan asked, though she got no response, instead, she was met with faster footsteps. She quickly scurried along, as fast as she could on her feet, but was quickly distracted, and soon enough, she stopped following her parents. _

_"What's a cute little girl doing by herself? Where are your parents?" Megan gazed into a wand maker's shop and was greeted by an older man with kind eyes and a kind smile. She tilted her head to the side, as she watched boxes moving from shelf to shelf. _

_She knew what magic was, she had grown up with it, her parents were pure-blood and they used magic all the time, but when she was standing there watching the boxes move, it was different. Or it had seemed different anyway. _

_"Your attention's caught by the wand boxes? There's one in there for you, miss. I'll see you in a few years and then you'll get to try out your own." The older man smiled at her, giving her a wink, and the turned his attention to some boys that were a few years older than her._

_Megan watched for a few more minutes, watching the boys try wand after wand, before she quickly lost interest and started making her way back down the alley. She hadn't been worried, or at least not at that moment about being alone in the alley, she was far too distracted by all of the sights._

_She had never seen something quite so spectacular, at least not yet anyway, and as a young girl, everything seemed to just nab her attention. Everywhere she turned there was something to look at, and soon, she found herself just spinning around in circles, trying to get every inch engraved into her memory. _

_"Romanoff! Come here!" Megan stopped spinning as she heard her name, and looked over her shoulder to where one of her parents friends child was standing. She had only ever seen her every so often, few and far in between, but she still knew who she was, so when she made her way over there, no red flags went up. _

_"Hello Constance." Megan smiled, giggly and happy to be in such a magical, amazing place, but she was only met by a sneer. _

_"We're going to have fun Megan." Megan felt Constance pulling her along, staying behind Constance, and felt a little uneasy as she was being pulled. _

_"Here." Megan stopped walking when Constance did, and when she was brought to the circle, she saw a little boy, no older than here, in the middle of the circle, being taunted and laughed at. _

_Megan's first and foremost thought, and feeling, was horrification. She could not believe that anyone, let alone the people she knew, would pick on a boy their own age, or ever younger. The next thought was confusion. _

_'__**Why**__ are they picking on him? What has he done to deserve this?' She thought precariously, nd while trying to keep attention off of her, started to take a step back. _

_"Mudblood! Mudblood! You're pathetic!" Megan turned her head and looked at Constance, a confused look on her face. She just simply didn't understand why the boy was being called pathetic. _

_"You're trash! You're nothing special!" She heard taunts coming from all around her, and even though she wasn't the one being picked on, she felt affected by it. _

_"Stop it! Leave him alone! He didn't do anything!" Megan was surprised by the sound of her own voice, and was even more surprised when she had pushed herself into the circle, and stood in front of the boy. _

_"What are you doing Megan? He's a mudblood! He's trash! Do not stand up for him! We are all above him!" She heard Constance yammering at her, but she still didn't understand. _

_"No! What did he do? He didn't do anything wrong!" Megan stood back by the boy, as she felt glares being sent her way. She felt small and weak surrounded by the girls and boys she knew, all glaring at her, all looking at her like __**she**__ was the boy. _

_"He's a mudblood, and if you associate with him, you are not any better. Just wait until you're parents hear about this." Megan puffed out her chest, trying to make herself look like her father, her mother and most of her relatives. _

_"I don't care what they have to say. I'm not letting this boy get picked on!" She turned on her heel and turned her attention away from the dispersing crowd, and instead focused on the boy. He wasn't looking at her, wasn't even acknowledging her, instead he placed his focus squarely on the ground. _

_"i'm sorry about that. I didn't know that Constance was going to drag me to that. I don't even really know what mudblood means. My parents say it a lot, but I don't know what it means." Megan tried to offer a reassuring smile, but it fizzled out, and she was left with a frown. _

_"I'm sorry. I really am." Another attempt at a smile, was met by a hardened gaze, and an unhappy face. _

_"It means I am part muggle and part magic. I'm not a pure-blood like you. I'm different." The boy gave Megan a hardened stare, then pushed past her, and exited the alleyway. _

_Megan looked after him, wondering why her apology wouldn't be enough,and why it wasn't enough. She was sincere, she was trying to be nice, and she had stood up for him. Shouldn't he be grateful. _

_"Megan!" She turned around and smiled, as she saw her father making hs way towards her. She was grateful that he had found her, all she really wanted to do was go home now, after that ordeal, but when he had come closer, that relief was gone. _

_"You insolent brat! How dare you talk to mudblood's! How dare you stand up for them! They are beneath us! You kick them when they're down, not help them back up. Do you understand me?" Megan cried out as she felt herself being hit, over and over, she felt the feeling of his hand on her back and face. _

_"Father! Please, I don't understand!" Megan cried, but was only met by harsher smacks, and harsher words. _

_"Shut up! Shut up! Me and your mother will beat sense into you yet!" She felt him yan on her arm, as he dragged her down the alley, and towards the place they had floo-ed from. All the while, Megan was crying, trying not to make noise, as she didn't want to be hit again, and she was all to aware, of Constance, beaming at her from across the street. _

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Alright so a little flashback for you, which is usually my trick to overcome writers block. :)

I want to thank the reviewers:

ChocolateIsKryptonite

Theta-McBride

CheesyVampire156

And the favoriters:

MissSunshine4ever

Elyon Cedar

Tomaaat

And the followers:

Lia16

Tomaaat

CheesyVampire156

Sorry if I missed anyone!


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